The Park
by RockyRockster99
Summary: Kenny and Cartman haven't seen each other in a while. When Cartman arranges to meet up with Kenny at the park, he finds out something unexpected about the blonde boy's life. Not really a Kenny/Cartman fic, but it depends how you see it. The whole story is basically in one chapter. [Rated M for language and some violence/abuse]


I pushed open the door of my empty flat, instantly jumping on the couch. I was exhausted. Working at Taco Bel wasn't the most relaxing job in the world. Mr Kitty limped over, jumping on the couch and comfortably laying on my stomach. I fell asleep right there with the cat on me.  
My phone buzzed loudly at about 8am. A text. I rolled over and Mr Kitty jumped on to the floor, hissing at me. I sighed and picked up the phone.  
One new message the screen read. Mom. I opened the text.  
Eric, I found a box in the attic full of all your old things! I'll bring it over right away.  
I threw the phone on the couch and went off to take a shower. By the time I was done, my mom was letting herself in at the front door.  
'Eric, where are you?' She called brightly. I threw on some clothes and went over to see her. 'Hey mom' I said, taking a box of stuff from her and gently placing it on the floor.  
'How've you been?' She asked, sitting on the sofa.  
'Not bad. Work is shit' I replied.  
'Language, Eric!'  
'Oh. Sorry' I apologised. She handed me a small, neatly wrapped parcel. 'What's this?' I asked.  
'I won't be here for your birthday, so I'll give you your gift early.' She explained. 'Happy 26th! You're a big boy now, Eric' She smiled.  
'Mom, I'm not a kid anymore' I complained.  
'You are to me' She replied.  
A while later, after she left, I opened the box, seeing what was inside. I pulled out clothes, toys, all the things from my childhood. I even found old Clyde frog, the toy I loved as a kid. His eye was missing, and so was one of his arms.  
The last thing in the box was a small photo album, empty except for about three photographs. One was taken when I was about eight or nine. It was a photo of me, Kyle, Stan and Kenny, all smiling at the Camera. It looked like we were at a beach, because we were all wearing our swimming clothes. It was one of the rare photo's where Kenny wasn't in his Parka, and Kyle wasn't wearing his hat. Even there, Kenny looked thin. You could see his ribs easily through his skin, but he was smiling all the same. Stan was still wearing his hat, though it must've been about 30 degrees celsius out there. I was as fat as ever, posing arrogantly at the camera, and Kyle had sun cream smeared all over his face. Probably the work of his overprotective mother.  
The second photo was taken on my 15th birthday. A huge cake took over about half of the table and fifteen candles were stuck at random places on the cake.  
Kyle was frowning at me, probably because I'd said something about his mother. I was smiling at the camera like in the previous photo. Stan wasn't there for some reason, maybe he was at the bathroom or something. Kenny was staring at the cake looking impressed and hungry. He still had his parka, but this one was grey. He'd outgrown the old one.  
The last photo was at graduation.  
Me and Kenny were stuffing our faces with the free food. The parka was gone, replaced by a faded black t-shirt that was way too big for him. Kenny's hair was greasy and matted, but he didn't seem to care. I was still wearing that blue hat over my head, I don't know why. Stan was stood talking to Wendy in the background, and Kyle was the one behind the camera, taking the photo. I wondered where they all were now. I saw Kyle and Stan about a year ago, both of them had gone to university. I didn't get in. I hadn't seen Kenny in a while though. I wondered where he was now. I made a mental note to find his number out and call him as soon as possible.

* * *

'Kenny for fucks sake get the fuck off your lazy ass and bring me some goddamn coffee before I go to work' He yelled. I quickly went to the kitchen and fetched a cup, so he wouldn't be mad at me. He gets mad easily these days. I moved in with Craig about five years ago, when I was nineteen. The first month or so was great, Craig always treated me really nice. But then he started to get tired of me. His mood changed easily, he became angry at the slightest little thing. I'll tell you about the first time he hurt me.

It started a few years back, on a Tuesday afternoon. One day he came home from work and said 'Kenny make me some pasta. NOW.'  
I was used to him ordering me about, I knew he was short tempered. Thing is, I'd never made pasta before. I prepared it ok, but I left on in the stove too long. I shouldn't have.  
He asked me 'Where is my fucking pasta Kenny, you lazy ass bastard?'  
'I'm sorry Craig, I burned it. I'm really sorry, I'll make you more. Please don't be mad'. If I did something wrong, he'd shout at me and I hated it when he did that. One time he actually broke the TV he was so mad. I had to get a second job to pay off the TV debt. I suppose it was my fault really.  
Anyway, I started preparing more food for him and he came into the kitchen. 'The fuck did you burn it for you clumsy little fuck?' He shouted.  
'C-Craig i'm really really sorry! Please don't shout' I'd said. My voice sounded afraid, even to me. I looked down at the floor and suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my left cheek where Craig had backhanded me painfully. I didn't expect that. He'd shouted at me countless times, but not once had he hit me.  
'Craig, what the fuck?' I yelled in surprise.  
'Don't fucking talk to me like that!' He yelled back, grabbing my blonde hair and dragging me back into the kitchen. He threw me into the table and I fell on to the floor, and he kicked me in the stomach a few times. 'Now make me some goddamn food and make it fast' he said, leaving the room.  
Picking myself up off the floor, I fixed a plate of food and joined him in the living room, where he was watching TV.  
That day I thought about leaving him. I filled a bag with my few possesions and clothes, and was all ready to go. But then i realised; I had nowhere to go. So I stayed there. It was better than the streets, right?

I finished cleaning the bathroom and collected the mail. All we ever seemed to get was bills and leaflets. I put them aside for Craig to look at when he came home from work and started on fixing the broken sink. A few hours later, the phone started ringing. I picked it up and a man's voice spoke into my ear. 'Hello, is this Kenny's house?' the voice asked. I paused for a moment. Who would be calling me? Nobody knew I lived here, nobody even cared where I was. 'Yes, this is Kenny' I replied, catiously.  
'Kenny, man! I haven't heard from you in what, five years? Six?' The man said. I tried to think of who it could be, I didn't recognise the voice. 'It's me, Cartman!'  
I couldn't help but smile. 'Cartman! Where are you man?' I asked.  
'I'm living in Denver, what about you?'  
'I'm still in south park' I told him.  
'Nice, where are you living? Are you living alone?' Cartman asked.  
'N-no i'm with Craig' I said sadly. 'You?'  
'I'm alone man, flying solo. Well, except for Mr. Kitty' He answered. 'So anyway, we should get together sometime!'  
'Uh, sure, if you want. I'm a little busy over the next few months though so-'  
'C'mon man, you can make some time to spend with your old friend, right?' Eric interrupted. 'I'll meet you at the park tomorrow, that sound okay?'  
I really wanted to go, but I knew I couldn't. Craig didn't let me out of the house without him, and he'd never let me meet up with old friends. Still, I could ask him. Maybe this one time, he'd let me out.  
'Y-yeah, sure! See you then!' I said, smiling. The phone went dead.

Craig came home earlier that day. He wasn't in a good mood, but I decided to ask him anyway.  
'C-craig?' I began  
'What'  
'Cartman called today and-'  
'You're not supposed to answer to phone to ANYONE' He interrupted, grabbing my hair and pulling me into the living room. 'What the fuck were you doing answering the phone?'  
'I'm sorry, Craig. It w-was just ringing and I-'  
'NO. You don't EVER answer the phone unless I give you permission. Do you hear me?' He interrupted again.  
'I'm s-sorry' I answered. Craig grabbed my wrist and slammed me into the wall. He punched me in the face a few times before grabbing my wrist again, this time digging his nails in.  
'What did he want?' Craig asked, his face close to mine.  
'He was w-wondering if I could g-go to the park tomorrow' I answered timidly. Craigs nails dug further into my wrist. 'C-Craig, you're hurting me...'  
'I don't give a shit if I'm hurting you Kenny. You deserve it. What did you say to him, on the phone?' Craig enquired angrily.  
'I just said that, uh, that I couldn't g-go tomorrow' I lied.  
'Good' Craig said, not letting go of my arm. 'Did you tell him anything else? Did you tell him about me hitting you or anything?'  
'N-no. I didn't tell him, Craig'  
'You better not have, you piece of shit' He spat, kicking me in the stomach a few times before releasing me from his grip. I decided to be brave.  
'S-so can I go?' I asked. Craig turned around and glared at me.  
'What?'  
'I said, c-can I go? To the park?' I repeated. Craig stormed over to me and punched me right on the nose.  
'Are you fucking THICK? NO, you can't go! You'd just end up getting lost or something, you stupid fuck. I'm doing this for your own good, you know' He said. 'You know what? I think I have to teach you a fucking lesson'  
He stepped back and took of his belt. My eyes went wide as I realised what he was about to do. 'C-craig, no, I-i'm sorry! Please don't do this' I pleaded.  
'It's for your own fucking good, Kenny. You have to learn.' Craig answered. I closed my eyes and whimpered in pain as he hit me with it over and over again. After what seemed like hours, he stopped and stormed out of the house, probably on his way to the bar. I fell to the floor and covered my face with my hands. He'd be even more angry if he saw me cry.

* * *

I rolled out of bed and looked at the clock. Half past twelve. I didn't have work today so I decided to sleep in, and I was meeting Kenny at the park later.  
The last time I saw him was on his nineteenth birthday. His parents had kicked him out a month or two before when they moved to California, and I think he was living on the streets. I offered for him to live at mine for a while, but he wouldn't take my 'charity'. We celebrated his birthday at the pizza place, and I bought him a huge cake, made to look like boobs. He loved that cake, he wouldn't stop laughing at it. I invited at least fifteen people, but of course most were busy at collage so only me, Butters and Craig showed up. It was still cool though.  
I showered and dressed quickly and made my way to South Park in my small red car. It only took about 20 minutes to get there, and an extra five to get to the park. I sat on the bench eating cheesy poofs, waiting for Kenny to arrive. I wondered what he looked like. Last time I saw him, he has greasy, shoulder length hair and was really skinny. He always had bags under his eyes, but he was usually smiling.  
An hour passed and I was beginning to think he wasn't coming, but then I saw a scruffy young adult in a black t-shirt walking over to me, big grin on his face.  
'Kenny!' I shouted, running over to him. He smiled.  
'Eric! You look so different!' He said, laughing.  
'You look pretty much the same! Except for that big cut on your nose. What's that from, Ken?' I asked, jokingly. 'Did you walk into a lamppost or something?'  
The smile left his face. 'Uh, yeah. A lampost' he said, looking away.  
'So how's Craig?' I asked, changing the subject.  
'He's alright' Kenny said. 'How's Mr. Kitty?'  
'He's getting old but he's doing well for his age' I replied. We chatted for a while about our lives. 'So why didn't Craig come along?' I asked  
'He... he's at work' Kenny replied. 'He doesn't actually know I'm here'  
'Didn't you tell him?'  
'No'  
'Why?' I asked. Kenny paused for a moment.  
'He didn't want me to come, I had to sneak out' He answered. I found that strange.  
'Ken, you're 25, you don't have to sneak around. You can do what you like' I told him. He looked at the floor.  
'It's not that simple' He said vaguely. 'Craig doesn't let... I mean, he just doesn't like me to go out without him'  
'Kenny, tell me the truth' I said. He sighed.  
'Craig doesn't let me out of the house. I'm not allowed out, that's why I didn't tell him I was coming' He explained. I was confused.  
'Craig can't tell you what to do'  
'If I don't do what he says, he gets angry' Kenny said. 'I just don't want to get hurt'.  
I started to put two and two together. The scars on Kenny's face, Craig getting angry... 'Kenny, you didn't walk into a lampost, did you' I said gently. Slowly, Kenny shook his head. 'Craig did this, didn't he' I said.  
Kenny looked at the ground, small tears forming in his eyes. 'I just wanted somewhere to feel safe, Eric' he said quietly 'Is that so bad?'  
'Kenny...' I began. I didn't know what to say. 'Why don't you leave him?' I asked.  
'I wanted to, but he'd find me. And there's nowhere to go' He sniffed.  
'C'mon' I said, gently grabbing his arm and leading him to my car. We drove to Craigs house and walked inside. The house was empty.  
'Eric, if he sees you here he'll kill me' Kenny said in a scared voice.  
'Don't worry, Kenny. It'll be okay' I said, and sent him upstairs to pack a bag of his belongings. I had no idea what time Craig came home from work, and honestly, I wasn't the most brave person in the world. I just hoped he wouldn't get here any time soon.  
Kenny came back downstairs a few minutes later with a small bag containing his few belongings. 'You can live at my place Kenny, we have to get you out of here' I said. We stepped out of the front door just as Craig's car pulled into the driveway.  
'Shit' Kenny said, almost dropping his bag. Craig stepped out of the car, frowning. 'The fuck is going on here?' He demanded. Kenny was shaking, he was probably scared. I was a little scared too. Craig walked towards us, standing in front of me. 'What the fuck are you doing here? Get off my property, fatass!' he shouted. I stood my ground. 'Craig, it's n-not his fault' Kenny said. His voice sounded worried. Craig turned his attention to Kenny. 'You're right for once, Kenny. It's all your fucking fault. I told you that you're NOT allowed to go to the park, you fucking idiot, and yet you went anyway' he said. Craig ran towards Kenny and grabbed him by the hair. He pushed him into the car and punched him in the face at least four times. Kenny cried out, causing some of the neighbours to come out of their houses. I was frozen to the spot; I wanted to help Kenny but i couldn't move in fear. The neighbours just stood and watched with wide eyes. Craig threw Kenny on the grass and began kicking him in the side while Kenny whimpered in pain, blood dripping from the new cuts that Craig had made. I ran towards Kenny and pulled Craig away. Kenny picked himself up off the grass and backed away behind the car, shaking. Yet none of the neighbours tried to help him.  
I turned Craig around to face me. 'Craig, leave Kenny alone or I'll personally kill you' I said darkly. 'You don't own him'  
In reply, Craig spat on my face. I could hear police car sirens faintly; one of the neighbours must've called the cops.  
Ten minutes later, Craig was in a cop car, hands chained together and speeding off to jail.

* * *

I couldn't stop shaking, I honestly thought Craig was going to kill me. Eric wrapped a large blanket around me and promised it'd all be okay. The blood had been cleared from my face but my entire body still hurt from what Craig had done. But now it was over. I looked down and let the tears fall from my eyes. I was free now, it was going to be okay.

I don't own South park or any of the characters

Hope you liked this, it took me a while to write (: I don't know whether I should write a second part to this, let me know what you think

Reviews are appreciated!


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